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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

I'm Done! Done, I Tell You!

Readers, my foray into retro shapewear is being terminated until further notice. There's a reason women stopped wearing these undergarments: they suck! (Take everything I say with a grain of salt right now - indignity over a bad girdle situation has me quite out of my mind.)As you know, I'd been having some misgivings already - I feared my longline bra was killing brain cells. But the last straw was yesterday. I wore my green pencil skirt to work with a black cardigan. I recently purchased thigh-high polka dot stockings, which I'm obsessed with. However, they need something to hold them up, and what better than my new Rago shapette girdle? I had high hopes for this little foundation garment. It looked fairly innocuous to me, not too heavy duty. I got dressed, took a quick look in the mirror (and was pleased with my firm tummy, to tell you the truth), and left for the office.

It all went downhill when I made a mid-morning trip to the ladies' room and discovered, upon viewing my ensemble in the full-length mirror, two rather unsightly bulges on top of my thighs. My flesh was being squeezed between my girdle and my stockings! The horror! Seriously, readers, it was bad. I made a beeline for the closest drugstore and bought some control top tights. (I should mention that one of my garters was digging sharply into the back of my leg the whole way, to add insult to injury - or should I say injury to insult? Hmm.) Back at the office, I changed into the tights and breathed a sigh of relief. Good lord, I was so much more comfortable! And I looked BETTER! Why had I been torturing myself?

Of course, the great irony was that meanwhile - on my very own blog - a fantastic discussion on body image and acceptance was taking place. And here I was, making myself crazy over a girdle of all things. It's clearly time to take a step back. From reading other vintage fashion blogs and the boards over at The Fedora Lounge, it seems a lot of women wear these foundation garments on a daily basis to complete their vintage looks. I admire their commitment, but I suppose it's not for me.

At least I can say I tried it. But I'll be going back to my old ways now - control top tights and Natori bras (I adore their bras). With a pair of Spanx thrown in here or there. (Yes, I know they're "flesh-colored passion-killers." I just don't think I care.)

58 comments:

Poor Gertie! Forget about it. Probably no one noticed. I say "do" whatever authenticity works for you. Personally, I don't see the problem in wearing modern undies with *altered* vintage style. Why not?

I'm amazed you could look at that contraption (albeit a pretty contraption) and not call it heavy-duty. I have a few "suspender belts" but they're little more than ribbons with clips on them. They sort of keep my stockings up.

Girdles/corsets etc were only worn back then because there was nothing else available to them. I am sure if modern shapewear had been around they would have killed for it! Why suffer unecessarily!Personally I love stockings but always wear them with a pretty little suspender belt - no suport but very cute.

I'm with you! I am so much happier with my spanx and control top tights. I have loved reading your "Adventures in Vintage Shapewear," though. I've always preferred pantyhose to stockings because of my tendency to "chub-rub," though!

As a child I remember my grandmother (a fashion diva of her time) wear girdles. On one occasion I remember her complaining about how much pain she was in, when she took off her girdle the back of her legs were blistered from this thing. I knew then that I would never wear this tourture item. Put that thing in the trash:)

Have just started reading your blog and it's great! I have similar issues around loving vintage, being a feminist and shapewear. I am learning to sew at the moment so that I can make outfits to suit my shape, rather than the shape I am squashed into uncomfortable underwear. I don't wear stockings precisely due to the bulge I get at the top of my thighs. I assumed only Dita-shaped people wear 'em in real life! x

However, considering all the great things you say here (and we all applaud) about being comfortable in our bodies, I'm a bit surprised at the anomalie (ok, probabley not the correct english word for what I mean...) of you running around with undergarments that changes your body into something more like society's image of how a woman should look... You hinted a bit at it in the text, but I wonder why you need control top tights? Just go with the comfortable ones! =)

But I do understand the stockings, they're absoloutley adorable! As some wise women above, I say suspender belts are the only way to go. I have one of these: http://www.whatkatiedid.com/fes_php/fes_usr_sto_product_display.php?fes_uid=fes_4b697f0987ff6&fes_action=DisplayProduct&fes_prd_id=358, and those with comfy stockings in the right size is way more comfortable than tights.

Aw... you poor thing! I hate when undergarments of any sort malfunction--especially those that are supposed to make clothes hang/look better! :p The closet thing to a girdle I've worn is a full torso "stocking" (basically a knit, compression piece with a bra attached) to the Navy Ball last year. I was so glad to get it off when we got home! ;) I'm afraid for me, I'm in the "don't really care if I'm period or not underneath" camp. Bras and garter/suspender belts maybe, but I still can't bring myself to wear a girdle. ;) My feeling is I'd rather not sacrifice comfort--both of the bodily and mental sort (I don't know about you, but when I'm uncomfortable physically, I can't keep my mind off it!).

Thanks for sharing your foray into the world of vintage foundation garments though! It's been fun to read an honest opinion!

back when I was in high school I decided that girdles etc were a tool of male oppression and refused to wear them. It made me laugh to see that you came to the same conclusion :)Modern undergarments are so much more comfortable!

Erika, great point about the discrepancy between my push for body acceptance and the use of shapewear. Personally, I don't think the two have to be mutually exclusive, but I obviously came to a place where they were. I will probably write more about it in the future. Once I recover from my girdle incident. :)

Also, I personally find control top tights comfy. They stay where they're supposed to, rather than stretching out in the panty area - nothing worse than drooping crotch syndrome!

Thanks for the suspender belt tips, all! I'd been eyeing the ones at What Katie Did.

LOL! I admire your commitment. Just about the time I became old enough to wear stockings, I was really too young to wear a girdle - although I had relatives who tried to get me into one. I wore a garter belt instead. I was THRILLED to wear panty hose!!!! Good for you! You gave retro shapewear a try. Now, you can move on!

Those stockings are sooo cute! What a shame that girdle is so uncomfortable. Have you ever tried control pants with inbuilt suspenders? I have some Berdita ones which come with detachable suspenders. Not as sexy as your girdle, but possibly more comfortable (although I have yet to try mine with the suspenders). You can find them at Berdita.com under 'Longline Panty Girdles'. They're quite generously sized, so I'd advise one or two sizes down from your usual (and watch out as they're UK sizing).

i'm with you Gertie. I've tried traditional foundation garments many times over the years and each time I remember why I just can't stand them. I do wear a playtex 18 hour bra that is fairly traditional, but I stick to Spanx or just plain old - gasp - underpants. yes, i'm sure my silhouette would look better with a girdle but it's just not worth it to me and the beauty of the world is CHOICE!!

Thanks for making my morning. I could never quite understand why a women would want to torture herself with undergarments of this nature. Myself, when I have an inkling for wearing my black, back-seamed stockings I use my lovely silk garter belt from Victoria's Secret. Works like a charm!

Great post on what a woman will do for the sake of fashion and wanting an authentic vintage look. I think, as many posters have suggested, to mix the old with the new and go for comfort and what makes you happy!

I'm with you sister! Comfort is of huge importance to me. Girdles and such have never been really comfortable to me. And I, like you, have seen and felt the bad effects of the "bulge." It looks worse than wearing the inhibiting under garments. I think fitting the garment to you is much more important than making you fit into the garment with added bells and whistles. Though I completely agree with your decision for control tops, because they do acutally stay up better. Go with whatever makes you feel, mentally and physically, best.

Having had to wear garter belts (known as suspender belts in England and in current vernacular) in my youth (pantyhouse wasn't invented yet) I will never understand people's fascination for them. Ever. I don't think they're sexy--they're a pain.

I remember being at a party and worrying the whole time that my mini-skirt (also just coming into fashion at that time) was riding up and showing my garter belts. It wasn't keen in those days to be going around with your underwear showing.

I somehow think the mini-skirt wouldn't have been possible without the invention of pantyhose and tights. I also think it's remarkable that these undergarments hold some sort of mystery for the current generation, as if wearing them held some secret key to Being A Mysterious Feminine Woman. We were just as befuddled about some things in those days as women are now, but with more spandex-ified shapes.

I think women today have it much better. While our attitudes toward our bodies, ourselves are certainly in flux (hence, I think, the fascination with all these retro underthings), we have the ability to talk and blog and have discussions like you have fostered here. Bravo to you!

Oh no! How horrific!I remember after hearing how it wasn't period correct to NOT wear a girdle I decided to go all out at a vintage fashion fair and wore a vintage one I had.Oh my gosh, the pain! I squirmed my way around the fair for about an hour, then ran to the bathroom and tore the wretched thing off, never to use it again! lol. I'd rather not wear the girdle than have a pained expression on my face!I love stockings, but with a suspender belt. I have one that's pretty darn comforatable and has a control panel at front. I actually find it more comforatable than pantyhose. It's kind of like this one:http://www.girdlebound.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=GVG&Product_Code=318&Category_Code=ccgbI also have a Rago waist cincher, which I only wear on special occasions. For some reason it's more comforatable to me than a girdle, but I am always glad to get the darn thing off at the end of the night.http://www.girdlebound.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=GVG&Product_Code=21&Category_Code=ccgbI was considering that two tone pink and black girdle from Rago, which I thought was adorable, but after reading this post I think you made up my mind for me. Comfort is better than cute. hehe.

Thank you Gertie for the good laugh at lunch time :-) Oh dear, oh dear. If I remember well, Coco Chanel and Madeleine Voinet wanted to liberate the woman body, didn't they? And were strongly against Dior's silhouette...There must have been a reason for that.(but deep inside, given the choice, I'd love to fit into one of those Dior's dress that would require all those underwear to fit, I swear. So I understand why you had to try).

You say you liked the stomach zone action, so I'd probably cut the dangling parts off of your spendy torture contraption and try seamless-waistband hose underneath.* I mean the girdle part is actually kind of pretty....

* If it wouldn't give you roll-up action, that is, since you don't need anymore shapewear snafus!

Girl - please Spanx are my friend! And the reason they are my friend are those smoothling properties they bring to my outfits. Spanx only "suck" in so much and really aren't going to alter my shape that much. But it will showcase my garments better and make me look cuter...and I'm all about the cuteness factor!

But I have to hand it to you...I'm just old enough to remember girdles and I wouldn't go back to those if you paid me! *LOL*

Ohh! poor of you!! I know what you suffered!! I've tryed those things too, (one of my mom's) but they are so uncorfuntable!! even the "modern" ones that are made of other "softer" material are very very uncorfortable.And you're right, my respects to those who wear them to complete their vintage look!!

I have that very girdle though...and I LOVE it! Really. I love it. I love how it shapes my midsection. I wear it under my pencils skirts and my wiggle dresses. I also have a light duty "corset" that I wear (made from plastic boning). I also love wearing corsets! I know, I am a freak! I know these things aren't for everyone and if you don't like wearing them then DON'T!

Personally, spanx and the like just don't give me the killer intense shaping that I crave. I know, sick.

I will admit it is quite a relief to take all that off at the end of the day, however. :)

Tying in with yesterday's discussion, have just discovered the Brabarella lingerie site. In their shapewear section, they use women of all shapes and sizes as models. Not only is it really refreshing, but you get to see how things fit and how they might work at smoothing the line. Now why isn't it like this with all lingerie sellers? Put a size 0 in shapewear and she looks exactly the same before and after... what use is that to anyone?

Weird. I am a size 20 and wear girdles and longlines all the time and never have a bulge. Are you sure the girdle wasn't too small? When I first started wearing them, I was getting them too small until a friend of mine told me I'm supposed to by them by my normal waist size, not the size I wanted to be, lol... wishful thinking on my part was really uncomfortable :)

Tart Deco: interesting about the sizing. I have a problem though: The girdles only come in even inch sizes, and my waist measurment is an odd number. So I went an inch down instead of an inch up. Maybe I should have gone up instead?

Gertie, I would have suggested going up because in the end the girdle is there to give you a silhouette and help the clothes hang better. Making you a bit smaller happens because it redistributes the weight more evenly, but the size is still there. Before you give up completely, I would suggest going to an "old school" store like Boston Store or JC Penney that has girdles and trying them on to find what size fits you without creating a bulge or making you feel funny.

PS That same friend stayed with me for 2 hours while I tried on every seamed cup bra Boston Store had in various sizes until I found the right size and shape that worked for me. Tedious, but time well spent.

Personally I dont require a girdle, but I have two modern ones, using modern materials and construction. I did have a new Rago which I found aweful, I didnt think it made me slimmer at all and it was rather itchy. I found a nice one on etsy in black and peach made by Kiss Me Quick.

Sounds like it was a size too small for you! Even spanx and modern control wear have the 'bulge' problem - the fat has to go someplace :/

I have to ask, what were your reasons for trying girdles in the first place? From all your previous posts it sounded like you were very against changing your body type to fit into vintage patterns, and not fussed at all about authenticity :/

I would really recommend a six or eight strap garter belt from WKD or Kiss Me Deadly - much stronger than the flimsy 2 strap things you get from modern stores, that aren't designed to be worn outside of the bedroom! (A side note, but I'm now going crazy buying stockings at the site you linked to! I find it hard to get stockings with cute patterns and colours, but I hate wearing pantyhose because I always alway always get drooping!)

Looks like a really need to do a post about body acceptance and shapewear. :) Like I said earlier, I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. The right shapewear can make you feel confident and help your clothes hang smoothly, and I've always been open about my use of Spanx in this capacity. I was interested to try the retro foundation garments in place of Spanx because so many vintage bloggers go crazy for them. I personally don't feel doing so was at odds with my ideals.

Authenticity per se is not important to me, but I like to experiment with different retro looks. Hence, the "accoutrements" series started here.

Also, in terms of feminism, isn't it funny how it all comes down to underwear sometimes? I have to remind myself often about the real issues - equal pay, reproductive rights, etc. To make everything about girdles gets a bit reductive. (ha ha, is that a pun I spy?)

That is such a bummer! I remember the first time I tried on the vintage lingerie. It's definitely uncomfortable. But so is everything you're not used to. It's gotten to the point where I love wearing them. If you're looking for a comfortable garter belt I suggest this one: http://www.dollhousebettie.com/garter-belts/374-rago-3184-6-strap-satin-garter-belt.html

And a waist cincher is a bit more tolerable than a girdle: http://www.dollhousebettie.com/retro-pinup-lingerie/765-rago-21-waist-cincher-with-garters.html

Gertie, when I wear a dress, I wear a shaper that has some boning in it, bought it at Dillards (like Macy's), probably paid about $45-50 years ago. It is not uncomfortable at all, of course, you are held in, but not terrible. It is cut like a bathing suit. I wear regular control top pantyhose with it, underneath, then the shaper, which has a closure in the crotch area for bathroom needs. Overkill, maybe, but works for me. Don't need a bra with it, so that's a plus. After 4 kids, I need the tummy help even though the rest of me is not too large. Before giving up. try JC Penneys, Macys or one of those stores that can fit you, and isn't so 50's style iron cage.

Hello again! A post on feminism and shapewear (even modern ones) would be wonderful! Even if the shapewear is comfortable, how do we combine it with the belif that all women should be pleased with themselves just the way they are?

Personally, I like getting dressed up and I'm a feminist. Sometimes that doesn't seem like it should be able to go together. Why is it that curling my hair, putting on some make up and wearing heels, will make me feel better about my looks? I'm happy just being me, but I'm happier being me a little dolled up. If that hadn't been the case, I would have lived in my sweatpants. Sometimes it makes me feel that I'm maybe less of a feminist and that I'm more affected by "the norm"-idea than I'd like to believe.

So my question earlier was just as much at myself as to you, sorry about being a bit unclear. I'd love to hear your views on it! You somehow always puts into words what up until then had been vague ideas in my head. When you are indeed fully recovered from the day's adventures into vintage underwear, of course =)

People think i'm crazy when i tell them, but i buy high waisted pantyhose and safety pin them to my bra at the centre front and sides. You don't get a saggy crotch or a big dent through the middle of your guts.

Well, Gertie, you have discovered what us grandparents already know. My dil told me about something called a Spanks body shaper or something like that. So, I went to the store and looked at one. Shaper??? I said. Girl!! This is a girdle!! We got rid of those in the 60's. Why on earth would you want to wear that??? You can call body shapers anything you want. They are still girdles!

Erika has a really interesting point. I've already decided that I can't reconcile any kind of shapewear with my feminist beliefs but I do still wear heel occasionally, and pencil skirts. I have this one pencil skirt that's knee length and very tight; it looks really great on and I feel so sexy in it. But every time I wear it and I have to do something like run for the train I think, 'so THIS is why women decided they wanted to wear pants.'

You know Gertie, about the passion-killing Spanx: That is why the phrase 'I'll be right back, I am going to slip on something more comfortable' exists. That way nobody ever knows what you are wearing underneath your clothes.

This comment might come a bit too late, but I wanted to put this out there-

I am currently writing my graduate thesis on women in rockabilly music and the social issues that might have kept them from obtaining the same support as their male counterparts. The one thing that has been very hard on me is the realization that no amount of research or personal introspection can allow me to know what it was like to live in that time. Things are different now, thank goodness.

How this pertains to comments about feminism and dressing up and girdles, etc. is that we have a choice now.

If we choose to dress up for ourselves does that mean we are selling out to a societal view? If anything, by choosing vintage we are stepping outside of what society considers the norm for our time. I think it all boils down to intention. If your intention is true to yourself, then it is feminist because you have the choice and you took it. There is nothing more freeing than that :)

Ouch! Sounds like that girdle did not fit properly. Since there aren't very many manufacturers of such shapewear now, I imagine it's difficult to find items that really fit everyone properly.

My background is in 19th century historical reenactment, with some serious reproduction clothing going on. Clothing that simply doesn't work without a corset and skirt supports. Not only that, it is deeply uncomfortable without a corset, which functions as a bust support (like a bra), as a body stabilizer (so non-stretchy fabrics can have a smooth, snug fit), and perhaps most importantly, as a shelf for your skirts to hang on (so they don't dig miserably into your hips, as they can get rather heavy). Reenactors often complain about corsets - but there's a world of difference if a corset actually fits! Very few people are going to really be comfortable in an off-the-rack or standard sized corset.

20th century style girdles and shapewear can be somewhat more forgiving than older styles of corsetry, thanks to some stretchy parts, but they're also trying to fit down around the hips too, which is an area that varies in shape a great deal from person to person. And if it doesn't fit right, it's going to be miserable. Even if it does fit right, you're still not going to have quite the range and ease of movement that you would without it.

For my part, I don't think serious shapewear is very practical as a part of my everyday life, and also, I can't afford it at the moment! Plus I have a figure that doesn't cooperate with standard sizing. But I don't think it's necessarily, well, upholding the patriarchy or anything, when some vintage enthusiasts do choose to wear shapewear. It's an aesthetic choice - does it need to be a political one as well?

I remember my mother saying in the sixties that when I was grown-up, women wouldn't have to wear girdles and that I was lucky. She was a young woman in the fifties and had some fabulous clothes (her mother was a professional dressmaker and miliner) and horrendous underwear. I love fifties fashion but I alter them to fit my 21st century figure.

Hi Gertie, I think you didn't give your time to get used to it, and that varies from woman to woman. You probably didn't know how it's worn comfortably either. So a few tips.

I used to wear a girdle all the time in the Sixties, and into the Seventies, I tried a girdle again a few years ago. I was shocked, I loved it.

There are a few things about wearing girdles and stockings. Put the girdle on properly. Do this by pulling it on but leaving it down at the back but right up in the front, it has to arch right down over your bottom and right up in front.Stand and relax , wriggle and wiiggle about in it , and then most important fasten you back suspenders to your nylons really tightly, then pull up the girdle far as you can at the front until you feel an actual tug on your back suspenders. Then still standing hold out your leg off the ground as you fasten your front suspenders. Then adjust again, wigglin and wriggling around. It seems like it takes ades but when you get used to these actions you eventually do it all much faster without even thinking about it. A great tip is to have your stockings up, and even your shoes on if you like, before you pull up your girdle. Leave the bra until last so you are freer to work the girdle exactly. Now for training whilst in your girdle. Let your tummy sag into the girdle, let it go, now you'll feel the comfort of the girdle workimg for you and fully supporting your tummy, and then you feel your backside held up beautifully , then your hips , your thighs, everywhere...

Keep letting yourself go inside your girdle like this, don't try as you do without a girdle to suck your tummy in, the girdle will now look after that for you. Aee, feel it, let go, everything at a time starting with your tummy.

Now sit down and relax and feel yourself all over, preen yourself.

Slap your belly with the palms of your hands, isn't it great to feel your belly all so firmly held in, hear the little thuds of your slaps, isn't it great. tip yourself like that around on your bottom too, feel it much smaller and beautifully held, caress your hips and thighs, hands on your waist, wow!Now relax and feel your girdle ( and bra, preferably longline down over your girdle) feel them hug you, hold you up so snugly, caress your nylon-clad legs, that's it, appreciate youtself for the fabulous figure you now have, think that you want to keep it forever. Now go over to the mirror and admire yourself, yes admire, just look at that pretty, that sexy girdle, look at the flat front panel where your tummy used to be, admire your petite little backside now, your suspenders, stockinged legs and heels, this is being a woman, a sexy mature woman, don't mind any political clap trap, this is what I do and how I think, this iis the way you want to be, the only way. And, yes, it's a way of life so much that after a couple of weeks you're used to it, after acouple of months you don't want to be any other way, in fact you do really get to the stage like me that you begin to hate not being in your girdle, you feel naked, odd, unsupported and you feel really awful without it. Gertie I hope all this so much helps you to be the woman you want to be and the woman you can be. I think you're great to have bought that Rago and tried, you simply owe it to yourself and so does everybody else here. Love your blog and I intend to read it all, but already I can see that you're a fabulous person. Very Best Regards , Gilliane (

I wear mine with sheer tights underneath! eliminates the unsightly thigh bulge and adds extra control! I am totally in love with vintage undergarments but i don't feel secure unless I wear them that way! Can you suggest any long line bra / girdle patterns? xxx

I have a vintage Carnival longline bra that I love. the only thing is that its waistband comes down over my girdle waistband and makes it doubly tight . Of course this further slims my waist and that's fine for grand occasions and special dresses, but not for always and I wear a high waist girdle all the time.

btw I forgot to say something very important, and this is: Once you get used to wearing a girdle it does not squeeze you any more!It then simply feels very firm around you everywhere, a very nice experience in fact, so much so that from then on you don't ever feel so good without a girdle.